Users of consumer video equipment typically accumulate video clips from various sources, and store these clips electronically, either on a Personal Computer (PC), or on a remote database that they are able to access across a network. These individual video clips typically relate to a variety of different subjects and occasions, and the user often wishes to edit one or more of the clips to form a coherent video production.
FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a system 100 that can be used for editing video clips. The system 100 comprises a video clip storage facility 102, a processor 104, video and audio presentation mechanisms 106 and 108 respectively, and an editing and user interface application 110. The aforementioned functional blocks are depicted as communicating over a communication bus 114. It will be appreciated, however, that one or more of the system functional blocks could be remotely located, and accessed over a network, this typically applying most often to the video clip storage facility 102.
Editing of video clips by users of consumer video equipment is often performed using a PC based editing system such as is depicted in FIG. 1. Typical video editing software, exemplified by the editing and user interface application 110, provides the user with a video-editing environment and with tools that can be used to perform “non-linear” video editing of captured video clips. In the present context, non-linear video editing refers to video editing that is not restricted by the order in which video clips have been captured. Video editing requires users to have basic video editing skills in order to make effective use of the software packages. Such basic skills involve fundamental issues such as arranging video footage on a timeline, trimming video clips, cutting out or removing unwanted video clips from raw footage, selecting and applying video transitions and sound tracks to video clips and so on.
FIG. 2 shows a typical Graphical User Interface (GUI) associated with a manual editing system for video clips. The GUI 1100 comprises a browser window 1102 that is typically populated by thumbnail representations of stored video clips, exemplified by a thumbnail 1104. Manual editing can be performed by the user by dragging, as depicted by a dashed arrow 1112, a “source”, or “parent” video clip 1106 into a desired position depicted by a reference numeral 1106′ in a manual editing timeline 1110. Other parent clips shown in the browser window 1102 can be dragged into desired positions, depicted by a dashed line 1116, in the manual editing timeline 1110 and a final parent clip 1108 can be dragged, as depicted by a dashed arrow 1114, into a final position 1108′ in the manual editing timeline 1110.
The user can apply effects to some or all of the selected clips 1106′-1108′ that have been inserted into the manual editing timeline 1110, and can also insert inter-clip transitions between desired ones of the aforementioned selected clips.
After the user drags the source clips 1106-1108 into the manual edit timeline 1110, he is able to obtain an overview of the contents of the proposed video production by looking at the incorporated source clips 1106′-1108′ within the manual edit timeline 1110. As effects and transitions are incorporated, and as individual “in” and “out” points on the individual clips 1106′-1108′ are adjusted, the GUI representation of the manual edit timeline 1110 can be updated to show results of the ongoing processing. In an alternate arrangement, the aforementioned updating of the manual edit timeline 1110 can be initiated by activating a separate “update” control (not shown). In either event, the user is able to appreciate the evolution of the video production by viewing the manual edit timeline 1110 as its contents are processed.
Although the mechanical operation of this manual editing arrangement 1100 is simple, the aforementioned video-editing skills are required in order to produce a quality output. It is, unfortunately, very difficult for novice users with limited video editing knowledge and skill to produce quality productions. In fact, video editing is typically a frustrating, time-consuming and demanding process even for professional video editors.
In order to overcome some of the difficulties associated with manual editing arrangements such as depicted by the GUI 1100 in FIG. 2, an automated, or at least semi-automated technique can be used.
FIG. 3 shows a GUI 1200 for such an automated technique, this being referred to as an “auto-editing” arrangement. The GUI 1200 has a browser window 1202 incorporating thumbnail representations of video clips exemplified by a thumbnail 1204, however instead of the manual editing timeline 1110 shown in FIG. 2, an auto-edit timeline 1214 is depicted. Furthermore, in addition to the browser window 1202 containing parent video clips exemplified by the clip 1204, a template window 1210 is also included, this containing a number of templates exemplified by a template 1212. Templates are software files containing cutting rules, title mattes, transition effects and other elements, as well as rules for the application thereof, these rules having typically being compiled by experienced video editors on a per-theme basis. Accordingly, the template 1212 is directed to a romantic theme, while the template 1216 is directed to an adventure theme.
From a practical perspective, the user drags, as depicted by a dashed arrow 1206, individual parent clips such as the clip 1204 to a desired position 1204′ in the auto-edit timeline 1214. Other parent clips can also be dragged from the browser window 1202 and located as desired in various positions depicted by a dashed line 1212 in the auto-edit timeline 1214.
In addition to the aforementioned video clips being incorporated into the auto-edit timeline 1214, a desired one of the templates in the template window 1210 is also dragged into the auto-edit timeline 1214. In the present case, the template 1212, which is directed to a romance theme is dragged, as depicted by an a dashed arrow 1208, to a specified location 1212′ in the auto-edit timeline 1214. The auto-edit timeline 1214 is designed to accommodate the selected clips 1204′, . . . and the single selected template 1212′. When the user presses a AUTO-EDIT button (not shown) the rules in the template 1212′ are automatically applied to the clips exemplified by 1204′ that have been incorporated into the auto-edit timeline 1214. Transitions, effects, cutting rules and other video-editing techniques are applied, according to the template 1212′ on an automatic basis, to the clips in the auto-timeline 1214, thereby producing an output video production of good quality. It is apparent that the user merely makes a selection of parent clips from the browser window 1202 and arranges them in a desired sequence in the auto-edit timeline 1214. The user also selects an appropriate template from the template window 1210. Having performed these simple operations, the auto-editing arrangement, in conjunction with the selected template 1212′, produces a high quality production. Clearly the auto-editing arrangement exemplified by the GUI 1200 significantly simplifies video editing for the inexperienced user.
Unlike the situation with the manual edit timeline 1110 (see FIG. 2), the auto-edit timeline 1214 presents a static display containing the individual source clips 1204′ . . . and the selected template 1212′, up to till the point the user initiates the auto-edit process.
As well as being useful for novice editors, the auto-editing arrangement of FIG. 3 can be used as an initial pre-processing step by advanced video editors, who typically take the output production from the auto-editing process, and perform further manual editing or “polishing” of that production to arrive at really high-quality output video productions. The use by advanced users of the auto-editing process as a preliminary step in the overall video-editing activity can significantly reduce the time and effort required by the advanced user in order to arrive at a final product.
FIG. 4 depicts an editing process 1000 used by a typical advanced user using a system that supports both the GUI 1200 and the GUI 1100. The process commences at a step 1002 which activates the GUI 1200, after which source, ie parent clips are selected from the browser window 1202 at a step 1006. Thereafter, a template is selected from the template window 1210 at a step 1010. The auto-editing process is thereafter initiated at a step 1014. After completion of the auto-editing process in the step 1014, the process 1000 is directed to a decision step 1028 at which point the user makes a decision as to whether the auto-edited production is in itself satisfactory, or whether in contrast, further manual editing is required. If the auto-edited production is deemed to be satisfactory, then the process 1000 is directed in accordance with a “no” arrow to a termination step 1030. If, on the other hand, further manual editing is required, then the process 1000 is directed in accordance with a “yes” arrow to a step 1018.
At this point, after having performed auto-editing using the GUI 1200, the user activates the manual editing GUI 1100 in place of the auto-editing GUI 1200, in order to proceed, in the step 1018, with further manual editing of the auto-edited production, that has been produced by the auto-editing process in the step 1014. In a following testing step 1022, the user assesses whether the video production resulting from the manual editing step 1018 is of acceptable quality. If this is the case, then the process 1000 is directed in accordance with a “yes” arrow 1024 to a step 1026 where the process terminates, outputting the final polished video production. If, on the other hand, the step 1022 concludes that the video production produced in the step 1018 is not yet of an acceptable quality level, then the process 1000 is directed in accordance with a “no” arrow 1028 back to the step 1018.
Considering the auto-editing technique in further detail, it is noted that the video auto-editing process, such as described in relation to FIG. 4, generally takes a source or parent clip, such as the source clip 1204′ in the auto-edit timeline 1214 of FIG. 3, and places various segments thereof in different positions in the video production that is output from the auto-editing process.
FIG. 5 shows how segments 602, 628 of a parent clip 616 (which is designated “c1” to indicate that the parent clip 616 is the first clip in the auto-edit timeline 1214) are positioned in a time-line 606. The time-line 606 is a temporal representation of the video production produced by the auto-edit process. The segments 602, 628 are extracted, as depicted by dashed arrows 618 and 620, from the parent clip 616 by the auto-edit process, and positioned in the output production time-line 606 as shown. The segments 602 and 628 are designated “s1” and “s6” respectively to indicate that they are the 1st and 6th segments in the resultant output video production shown in the time-line 606. As described in relation to the steps 1018 and 1022 in FIG. 4, the contents of the timeline 606 can be subjected to an iterative manual editing process in order, for example, to add and vary in/out points of the segments 602, 628 as well as to change effects and transitions applied thereto.
Video editing software applications which support both the manual editing functionality as described in relation to FIG. 2, and the auto-editing capability as described in relation to FIG. 3, offer these video editing modes as separate facilities, as exemplified by the separate GUIs 1100 and 1200 in FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively. Users thus typically have to terminate an editing process using one of the editing modes in order to use the other editing mode.
When a user switches from the auto-editing mode to the manual editing mode, the clip segments that have been created by the auto-editing process, as exemplified by the segments 602 and 628 in the timeline 606 of FIG. 5, are made available to the user for manual editing, in the manual editing timeline 1110 described in relation to FIG. 2. The manual editing time-line 1110 will generally be populated with the child segment clips 602-628 from the source clip 616, and also with child segments from other parent clips which were included in the auto-editing process. It is extremely difficult for the user at this point to determine the relationship between the child segments in the manual time-line 1110 and their associated (originating) parent clips. Having lost a clear appreciation of the relationship between his original selection of parent clips and the resultant child segments upon which be now intends to perform manual editing, the user typically suffers from a loss of contextual appreciation, which degrades his ability to perform the desired manual editing effectively. This reduces the work-flow efficiency and productivity of the user.
It is apparent that this problem is exacerbated as the number of parent and child clips multiply, as is typically the case in normal video editing processes.